I suspect that the source of the confusion is that - as Sarge posted above - ACF officers used to have Lord Lieutenants’ commissions. Given that this state of affairs ended in 1942 however, it seems odd that the confusion still exists 70-something years later!
[quote=“MattB, post:429, topic:2647”]
I suspect that the source of the confusion is that - as Sarge posted above - ACF officers used to have Lord Lieutenants’ commissions.[/quote]
I could understand the SCC making that mistake, but not the ACF county themselves!
Interesting to hear that it will be called a Monarchs Commission (let’s not go too deep into why that’s the case - it’s obvious). Come the end of 2017, everyone will be transferred - there will be no timing out and swapping. Next year 100 staff will go to the palace to be appointed into the new commission.
The survey results are complete - the results are being kept quiet.
maybe I’m missing something, can you explain? The present Queen’s commission says Queen and her heirs and successors and so forth so I don’t follow are they all monarch commissions but generally refered too as what ever head of state is at the time???
And this is a genuine question not one to try and nit pick over the details etc…
Can we ask also how you get this info??
Senior staff told us last night nothing has been decided yet regarding VR(T) moving to the new commission.
Plt_Off_Prune is actually HM the Queen and I claim my £10!
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I wish I was. I love corgis.
Because they don’t want to have to change the name to Kings Commission shortly after.
I’m fortunate that we have a good chain of communication and they tell us when stuff becomes available. Some stuff I haven’t because they’ve said “not for onward distribution as yet”. We have always been well placed to brief and I suspect other wings suffer from knowledge power hence why centrally distributed information from HQAC doesn’t make it through.
Monarch as suggested is in keeping with the modern fad for gender neutral so as you don’t upset someone. You know where people call their husband / wife / fiance, fiancee, boyfriend / girlfriend their ‘partner’, to make them sound like someone they dance or are in business with.
Let’s just hope they don’t refer to our King or Queen as Monarch all the time, ie The Monarch of the UK.
This could be called a Queen’s Commission and when Her Majesty passes in becomes a King’s Commission.
Thanks for that info I was just wondering.
“Come the end of 2017, everyone will be transferred-there will be no timing out and swapping”
If this is true, and I don’t doubt your sources as you do seem to have good ones, then that is new news. I wonder when it will trickle down.
Interesting times in the ACO at present what with this and the new progressive training syllabus we haven’t heard anything about thru official channels.
ho hum
Yeah I thought that was interesting too
I think HQAC operate an information policy of doing by drip to certain areas and see what happens, rather than an all address email.
What is the point of having an email system if you don’t use it?
You have to wonder what they’re scared of at all levels for having information getting to people? If they’re worried that people may think “I’ve got better things to do with my time” and leave, a bit late for that.
For years our company has sent emails out to everyone advising of changes that are happening to avoid managers sitting on it. We’d find that some managers just sent it on to their depts. and others didn’t. Our managers have been pretty good and we’d forward to others not so fortunate.
I half suspect it’s deliberate, on a basis if they tell a handful of people in one Wing it will leak out to the rest and if they get 32 other Wing Commanders phoning up and saying "their is this rumour and everyone’s really angry"plus what they read on here, (we always used to be monitored) they can change the policy before release and go “oh this was what we always intended don’t know where the rumour came from”.
No need to suspect. I’ve had it confirmed that the approach of ‘drip, then test for reaction’ is HQAC policy.
A policy with which I disagree. IMHO this is no way to run a paper round, let alone an organisation of ~50k with a budget in the 10s of millions, and is supposed to be ‘commanded’ by ‘leaders’ with ‘integrity’.
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I assume they use ATF for this a lot since they are always spouting rubbish as policy which never comes about.
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Since the weekend or the 8-9 October when it was my wife’s birthday I have had a cadet activity every weekend up to this weekend coming. That is two months of weekends that I have given up at least one day to the ATC. Many like my sqn selling poppies does not attract pay. I do it because it is the right thing to do and enjoy making a difference on my sqn. I have been involved in the corps man and boy for over 30 years and enjoy what i do and do not begrudge the time I put in.
I have seen many changes but nothing on the magnitude of the loss of our VR commissions. We are being treated like mushrooms over this matter.
On balance a CFAV commission would reflected much better what we do. BUT for 75 years a VR commission has worked but nothing that has been posted in the previous 439 posts has stated how the cadets in 1234 (Local) Sqn will benefit from this change. The problem that I see it is at root and branch the ACO cannot deal with P issues, whether it be at local levels or higher up the organisation with the paid staff who should have the training, experience and a couple of brass ones to implement policy.
The reason why many feel the need to take things to QE2 is that they have been treated in a shoddy or unprofessional manner by the higher levels of this organisation.
The volunteer officers of the ACO faces the greatest change to their status since the ATC was formed in the dark days of 1941 and have provided service over the past 75 years. Many were ex aircrew and were bringing their experiences back to the ATC. Many joined local sqns as boys joined the RAF and fought during the war and then came back to their local sqns to carry on as VR officers in the ATC. We are breaking a link with the past.
BUT the biggest issue here as is with P matters is that the Ivory tower does not communicate with the coal face. We as volunteers need to be brought on board with this and be shown how this change will benefit the cadets. Currently it seems this change will only benefit the Army, QE2 and save the blushes of those at Sleaford Tech
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Perfect summary… now all the brass knobs need to do is read that and take note.
Not that they ever will take note and move things on constructively.
They might read it but they won’t understand it or have the mental capacity to comprehend it. The fact they don’t understand or comprehend people’s concerns has been a problem for a while and as suggested may spawn the complaints to the top.
HQAC seem to think you can admin (via policy and putting hurdles in the way) yourself out of trouble.
Nail, hit, head.
These are the 2 main drivers behind this – the change in Reserves and the right to redress at senior level.
Reserves – things have been this way since (and during) WW2, when lines between Regular, Reserves and Cadet Forces were non-existent to any real degree – the VR in Bomber Command being a case in point. So why is this now – with the not very new – Whole Force concept (and the re-blurring of lines) is this suddenly an issue? The exemptions from call up were put in place and everyone was happy with their role and what it really meant.
I am one of those who went through the new Officer Selection process, (OASC including Fitness Test), to presumably be deemed to be acceptable enough to the RAFVR(T) branch to be able to wear its uniform and conduct myself as an Officer accordingly.
When I did this I knew my role and I also knew there were rules and regulations to adhere to in order to fulfil my primary tasking - instilling the ethos of the Parent Service (through ATC activities) into Young People.
I knew that we were the Ginger Child of the RAF, but my expectation was that through contact with the Parent Service (Camps etc.) that the perception of VR(T) by Regulars and Deployable Reserves would gradually change for the better both with the reduction in size of the Parent Service and the integration through the OASC process. In this equation my expectation was that we would all respect our respective roles – after all many Regulars/Reserves are ex-Cadets.
However, there is always the minority and these people should have either been gripped from the outset, or people within the CoC to be big enough to realise that these people have a genuine cause for complaint and action it appropriately.
As highlighted, the communication and consultation on this has been dire. Apparently, I am supposed to be appeased with the new Cadet Commission because I can ‘mince about some (frankly grotty in places) Officers Messes and be afforded compliments’ – if this is what the COC think is the main driver for the majority of the Office Cadre, then we’re in some really big, brown sticky stuff.
Does the Cadet Commission change what opportunities I would like to provide for the Young People in my charge? No – but it has made me think twice about the relationship I have with the CoC and its view of people like me - as a result this might affect the quantity of how much I am willing to actually deliver.
Add to this handcuffs of what we can actually deliver through grounding of Aircraft, funding generally, ‘lastminute.com weapon programme procurement’, etc. and it gets very difficult.
Other people talked about the dangers of not attending and getting out of the habit, sufficient enough to leave – I would suggest people explore this a bit further and ask themselves - while they attend – “what they consciously wish to contribute and take from the organisation?”.
An awful lot of goodwill is levered off of the ‘Feel good’ factor of what we do – to the extent that we often forget why we’re here in the first place.
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Sorry if this has been posted before, but ive been away from ACC for a few days!
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LKGXGXV
Asking for choices on insignia…with pretty pictures.